CENTRAL COMMISSION FOR HOLDING ELECTIONS AND REFERENDUMS IN TURKMENISTAN

POLLING STATIONS FORMED IN DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVES.

At the present time, diplomatic representatives and consulates of Independent, permanently Neutral Turkmenistan is operating in 30 countries of the world.

At the elections of the President of Turkmenistan and deputies of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan dozens of polling stations were established for citizens who were living or stayed abroad at that moment. These polling stations were organized at the foreign diplomatic representatives of Turkmenistan (consular organizations) and in the representative offices of Turkmenistan at international organizations.

In these polling stations, by the Central Election Commission a charter on voting procedures were prepared and approved.

Considering the local conditions, the tasks, notifying voters with information about polling stations, are regulated by the chairmen of diplomatic representatives of Turkmenistan.

The composition of the precinct election commission formed at the diplomatic representatives of Turkmenistan is approved by the Central Election Commission. A certificate of the established sample is issued to members of election commission. The term of office of a precinct election commission is five years.

The precinct election commission compiles a voter list of the precinct. Citizens of Turkmenistan, who comes to the relevant polling station, are included to the voter list, on the basis of a passport (or a document replacing a passport). The voter list includes citizens of Turkmenistan, who are (reside) abroad and have the right to vote, as well as those who have reached the age of eighteen by the Election Day. Each voter may be included to the voter list only at one polling station.

The Central Election Commission provides the polling stations formed at the diplomatic representatives of Turkmenistan with the necessary number of ballots.

A voter, who is not able to stay on the day of the election at his place of residence, has the right of early voting at the polling station. The time for early voting at polling stations will be established by the precinct election commission at the diplomatic representatives of Turkmenistan.

On Election Day, at polling stations, voting takes place from 7.00 to 19.00 by the local time. The chairman of the precinct election commission informs the Central Election Commission about the opening of the polling station, the voters who voted early, and the total number of voters.

In the polling stations, presence of chairmen of election commissions and its members, observers, proxies of candidates and representatives of the mass media is valid.

After the voting completion, the voting results are established by the polling station, and a protocol of the precinct election commission is drawn up. The original protocol is sent to the Central Election Commission.

During the elections of the President of Turkmenistan and deputies of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, which are important social and political events, the specialists of the Central Election Commission of Turkmenistan have gained rich experience in working with foreign polling stations established at the diplomatic representatives of Turkmenistan. This provides a wide opportunity for our citizens, who are living abroad; to participate in highly organized elections held in our Neutral Fatherland.